From bounty hunter to opera singer

Tenor Carl Tanner performing with Symphony Of The Mountains

Carl Tanner started his life as a truck driver and bounty hunter, even getting shot at during one point, but is now one of the most celebrated tenors in the world.

In a press release, Symphony of the Mountains announced "Once In a Lifetime: Carl Tanner with Symphony of the Mountains" on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at the Toy F. Reid Employee Center in Kingsport. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear the famous tenor Carl Tanner as he fills the halls in tandem with Symphony of the Mountains, Voices of the Mountains and the Civic Chorale to create a beautiful operatic experience.

Born and raised in Arlington, Virginia to very modest means, Carl Tanner started his adult life as a truck driver. The first turning point for Tanner came one day while he was inching his way along Interstate 95 in the cab of his 18-wheeler, singing the Giacomo Puccini aria "E lucevan le stelle" to pass the time. A woman in a convertible in the next lane called up to him, "Is that you or is that the radio?" "That's me, lady," Tanner replied. "Well then, you've missed your calling," the woman declared. "You should be singing for a living, not driving."

To earn extra money, Tanner moonlighted as a bounty hunter. When asked how he moved from being a bounty hunter to an opera super star, Tanner replied, "Literally, I got shot at, then chased a guy out a window. And then I thought, 'You know, my number's coming.' Two weeks later I was driving my truck and I decided to move to New York to pursue opera."

It took him almost ten years to go from working class to world class, performing at the most celebrated opera houses, including the Kennedy Center in Washington, La Scala in Milan and the Royal Opera House in London.

Tickets are on sale now by calling Symphony of the Mountains Box Office at (423) 392-8423 or visiting us on the web at www.SymphonyOfTheMountains.org. As always, students are admitted free of charge pending availability.